Crystal Shards
by Ange Amour
Summary: *
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own _Gundam Wing_.

**Crystal Shards**

~ Chapter One ~

Duo Maxwell fitfully tossed and turned in his bed. Above him, the fan's blades spun around and around. A brief blast of air showered him. It felt as if his body was on fire and his nose felt clogged up. He kicked the covers off himself and laid still for a moment. He hoped to fall asleep soon. However, when sleep refused to come, he opened his eyes and sat up.

Even though he yawned, he didn't feel tired. _What is wrong with me_, he questioned as he swung his legs around towards the edge of the mattress and lightly placed his feet on the wood floor. The floor felt too warm.

When he stood, he noticed that he didn't feel like climbing back into bed and going to sleep. He worried that he'd have difficulty staying awake during the day and he wondered if he had slept way too much earlier. His mind poked at him guiltily.

He winced the moment he took the first step away from the bed and towards his bedroom doorway. The atmosphere was quiet and he feared disturbing it and waking his neighbor, Heero Yuy.

He made his way across the room, exited and carefully walked along the hallway towards the kitchen. For a moment, he squinted and blinked until his eyes adjusted to the welcoming light that filtered into the living room from the kitchen.

Chang Wufei lay sprawled on the couch in the living room, the light from the television highlighting him amongst the darkness of night. On the television was an old 1950s movie titled 'Seven Samurai'. The picture was in black and white and the audio in Japanese.

When he turned the corner to his right, he noticed Quatre Rebara Winner asleep at the table, sandy blonde hair splayed along a college textbook. With a smirk, he thought, _Sheesh, that guy never gives it a rest._

At that point, he began to feel slightly sleepy. _Will I fall asleep now_, he wondered as he approached the refrigerator, stopped in front of it, reached for and grabbed the black, plastic handle and pulled the door open.

Quatre stirred.

Duo let go of the handle, reached towards the top shelf, grabbed the jug of milk and pulled it towards himself. He walked over towards the overhead cabinet, reached for the handle, grabbed it and pulled the wooden door open.

A stack of plastic white cups tumbled towards him and he quickly ducked out of the way. The cups hit the floor with a racket and Quatre's eyelids shot open as he quickly straightened himself in his seat. "Oh, Duo," he said with a yawn and the rub of his eyes.

"Sorry," Duo squeaked. His intention was to grab a cup of milk, drink some and then go straight to bed. He didn't mean to wake his friend.

"Hey, you! Close the refrigerator!" Chang scowled at his friend.

Duo wished he had been more careful. He didn't like it when Chang didn't wake up all on his own. The guy was a grump for the rest of the day and night.

When he tried to pour milk into a cup, it splashed onto the counter. _Ugh. Why me? _His body was quickly getting to the point where it felt as if he would crash any moment. He still felt miserably hot and wondered what on earth was going on with the weather. He could have sworn a cold front was supposed to go through.

Without thinking, he left the milk jug without its cap and out of its cold environment as he walked away from an open refrigerator door. His thoughts had become slow and stuck and his eyelids hung low.

Not realizing what he was doing, he turned left into Heero's bedroom and approached the bed where he laid. He climbed into the bed beside Heero and hugged him, falling into a dreamy sleep. "Honey," he mumbled with a yawn. He had a plushie with a Japanese name that was way too difficult to remember. His nickname was Honey. The character came from 'Ouran Highschool Host Club'.

Heero felt arms around him and instantly knew it was Duo. "I swear, if this is one of your lousy pranks, I'm gonna – " As soon as he heard him snoring loudly, he stopped speaking, sighed and rolled his eyes. _Lovely_, he thought sarcastically.

Early the next morning, Heero carefully removed himself from the bed and tiptoed towards the bedroom doorway. Like Chang, he wasn't a morning person. Though, if he could freak out Duo, he sought every single chance handed to him. That's why he snuck his way along the hallway towards the living room. He planned to deactivate the alarm, go outside into the morning sunlight and enter the garage via the side door.

As he did just so, he searched around for the saw he used to cut up wood last winter. When he discovered it propped against the wall as if someone had recently used it and didn't put it away, he wondered if Duo was behind it. The most forgetful guy he had ever met.

Quickly, he retrieved the saw and made his way back inside the house. Holding the saw, he looked all around him. No one was in sight and he heard the shower in the hallway bathroom. _That's probably Quatre._

He carried the saw back to his bedroom. _Oh, this is gonna be good_, he thought as he quietly approached the bed where Duo laid.

Chang had heard Heero moving about. _What on earth is he doing? _He stood from the couch where he had slept during the night and made his way towards Heero's bedroom. "Heero?"

At that moment, Heero pulled the string and the saw roared to life.

Duo's eyes snapped open and he jumped out of the bed. "AHHHHHHH!" His feet barely hit the floor before he ran from the bedroom.

Heero's eyes blazed as he chased Duo down with the roaring saw.

Duo didn't even notice a very confused Chang as he frantically scratched and banged at the bathroom door. "GAH, QUATRE, QUATRE!" His entire body shook uncontrollably. He felt pretty close to going to the bathroom in his pajama shorts, he was scared so badly.

Calmly, Quatre turned off the shower, opened the shower door, stepped out, grabbed the towel above him, wrapped it around himself and made his way towards the door. _Oh, what is it, Duo?_

On the other side of the door, Duo rattled the knob.

Quatre unlocked the door, but when he turned the knob, it wouldn't budge. "Let go of the doorknob, Duo!"

Duo released the doorknob and bolted along the hallway, running right smack into Chang in the process. "Ch-Chang!" Quickly, he slipped behind him, pointing his right index finger in Heero's direction. "Something's wrong with Heero! He's snapped!"

Quatre stepped out of the bathroom and into the hallway. "What on earth is going on?"

Duo saw Heero running towards Quatre and buried his face in Chang's hair. "Look out, Quatre!" He had no idea what was really going on and it frightened him to see Heero with a saw and have him chasing after him with it.

Still calm, the blonde turned around. When he noticed Heero with the saw, he struggled not to crumble to the floor in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. In his mind's eye, he saw a possessed Heero. He clapped his hands over his lips, hiding the grin on his face. _Oh my, Heero's just messing around with Duo._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own _Gundam Wing_.

**Crystal Shards**

~ Chapter Two ~

Duo sulked as he plopped himself down onto the black leather couch in front the big screen television. "I'm gonna get you for that one, Heero," he mumbled.

In the kitchen, Quatre chuckled. "Coffee's done," he called out as he went over to the refrigerator, opened it and searched inside for the creamer. He found the container of creamer on the middle shelf in the door.

In the living room, Duo crossed his arms over his chest. "Hmph! I don't want any!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Heero appeared on the couch beside him as if he had teleported himself there. In reality, he snuck up on him, something he excelled at.

Back in the kitchen, Quatre opened the container of creamer and poured the white colored liquid into a small cup he had set out beside the coffee pot earlier that morning. When he was finished, he put it away and shut the refrigerator. Afterwards, he considered whether or not to put sugar. _Hmmm…Sugar is fattening. _For a moment, he blinked his eyes hard and shook his head. Finally, he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Back in the living room, Heero sighed and rolled his eyes as he stood from the couch.

His friend cowered against the arm of the couch, on the brink of diving in the tiny space between the side of the couch and the end table. "D-Don't come near me!"

A grin of mischief spread along his lips and he reached for the small, silver gun hooked inside its holster at his right hip. "I know just the medication to fix your attitude, Duo." _I thought I was the poor sport._

Duo noticed the gun and dove into the small space between the side of the couch and the end table. "Heero, you're freaking me out!"

He aimed his gun at him. "I can still see you."

At that moment, Quatre sighed and shook his head. "Oh, you two."

His friend peeked out from his not very good hiding spot.

Heero pulled the trigger.

Duo released a scream that sounded very much like a terrified girl.

Quatre's eyes widened. _Did he really think Heero would shoot him?_

A nervous grin spread along his lips when he noticed that he was not injured or dead. "Ha! I-I'm…alive?" He stood and stared back and forth from Heero to Quatre, deeply confused.

The blonde struggled not to burst into a fit of laughter. _Oh, Duo. It was just a bad joke. _"I had no part of this, Duo. Honest."

At that moment, Trowa Barton sat down on the cushion beside Duo and dug around for the remote to the television. "Anyway, let's see what's up in the world today."

Duo stared at him with raised eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"

Trowa pulled the remote out from between the cushions. "What do you mean, Duo? I live here." He turned the television on and tuned to the news channel.

The room was silent as the news reporter spoke. "Twelve years ago from today, Mizuki Maxwell and Sakura Yuy were kidnapped from their homes in the middle of the night."

Quatre stared sadly at the television screen. _Poor girls! _"By now, I bet they're dead." _If a person hasn't been found within a day or so of his/her disappearance, it's pretty much safe to assume that he/she has been murdered._

_No one has found the bodies. _Duo shook his head hard. "No way!"

Trowa shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe they're not in the country?"

Heero sat down on the other side of Duo. "You've been investigating, right Duo?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"What did you find?"

He sighed. "Nothing much."

Trowa reached into the back pocket of his blue jeans and pulled out a piece of paper. "Oh really? Then what's this?" He unfolded the paper.

Duo reached for the paper. "Hey, you! Give me that!"

Trowa held the paper out of his reach. "It looks to me like an address."

"Yeah, but I don't even know if it's credible information!"

Chang snatched the paper from Trowa and glanced at its contents. "Hmmm…Looks pretty credible to me."

Duo stood from the couch and rushed over to Chang. "You can't just tell by looks!"

"Are you sure we should be doing this," whispered Duo.

"Don't be such a chicken."

Duo stopped and lifted his right foot, holding it out behind him. "Shut up, Heero!"

Heero stopped just shy of the sole of Duo's tennis shoe.

"Guys, please!"

Chang pictured inside his mind a silent Duo and his peace. "Hey, Quatre. Can I stuff a sock down Duo's throat?"

"No!"

Duo sniffled. "Wow, Chang. That was a mean thing to say."

Quatre pointed his right index finger in the direction of a two story home. "Duo, get serious."

The gundam pilots stealthily snuck along the driveway and up to the front door.

Duo grabbed an old cd out of his back pocket and slid it between the doorframe and the door itself. As soon as he heard a click and felt the lock give way, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. He stepped inside.

Behind him, Heero turned on his flashlight and shined the beam of light inside. He entered the building.

Duo approached the stairs and started to make his way up to the second floor of the house. The steps complained beneath him. He noticed green blades of grass sticking out between small cracks in the wood. _How is that even possible?_

He made it to the top step and turned right. It only took about a couple of steps before he had made it to an open doorway. When he shined his flashlight inside, he saw faded newspaper articles of famous ballerinas all along the walls. He also saw a single strip of paper that said, 'Black Swan' and an arrangement of pictures below.

A young woman glared at him. She kicked the blankets off her and prepared herself to attack the young man who had just entered the home where she lived. "Excuse me! Just what do you think you're doing," she demanded.

The voice sounded so abrupt and it felt as if the quiet environment had turned into something loud and with more activity. That was why Duo felt his heart leap into his throat as his eyes widened with a gasp and he spun around so quickly that he stumbled about for a moment in a struggle to maintain his balance.

She stood from the bed. Impatiently, she crossed her arms with a sigh and the roll of her cobalt colored eyes, pressing her weight slightly onto her right side. "Well, I'm waiting." A light smacking sound echoed amongst the walls as she tapped her right foot against the faded floorboards.

A lump formed in his throat and he struggled to answer her. He cleared his throat and swallowed hard. Sweat soaked the palms of his hands. "Ummm…Well…"

"Time's up!" She launched herself at him, ready to tackle him to the floor.

"W-Wait!" In defense, he dodged out of the way and wrapped his arms around her waist. He had no desire whatsoever to hurt a girl. With a sigh, he told her, "Please, don't make things difficult."

Her eyes widened and she began to cry. Hanging from his arms, she held her head level as she furiously flailed her arms and kicked. "Let me go!" The terror roared in her ears and she thought her heart would beat right out of her chest. Her head throbbed.

Heero Yuy entered the bedroom, arms crossed over his chest, hands tucked at his inner elbows. He sighed and rolled his eyes, muttering, "Jeez. Pathetic."

A little girl heard a ruckus and got up to check it out. "Sis?"

Quatre gently wrapped his arms around her waist and swept her up off her feet and into his arms. "Come along, little one."

"AH!" She fought against him.

"Let her go, you fiend!"

"Please, will you two just come with us?"

The young woman shoved her elbows into wherever, desperate to get the guy to drop her. "We don't even know you so why should we?"

Suddenly, everyone heard a loud click and all eyes landed on a man aiming a gun at the five gundam pilots. "Release my daughters this instant!"

Duo placed the young woman on her feet and took her hand as he and Quatre rushed down the stairs and out of the house. They then darted around a corner at the end of the road and hid in an alleyway between two buildings.

"Please, stop," the young woman said breathlessly.

Duo released her hand. "Alright. I guess you want an explanation."

Quatre butted in. "You really aren't that guy's daughter."

Her eyes widened and she blinked. "Wait, what now? Come again? I'm not sure I heard you right."

Duo told her, "You aren't that guy's daughter."

A grin spread along her lips. "Are you serious?" She laughed. "Right, I get it. This must be some joke."

Quatre shook his head. "We're not kidding."

For an instant, her heart froze. _This can't be true! _"I was told at age four that my parents adopted me, but I didn't think…"

"They lied. At the start of the war, you were kidnapped from your real parents."

Tears came to the little girl's eyes. "This…can't be."

"Hold on, just how do you know for sure?"

"On the news, when you two were stolen away, it was said that the older girl's name was Mizuki Maxwell and that the younger girl's name was Sakura Yuy. The parents of the two were close friends and they were murdered."

"Liar! The war was a long time ago!"

Quatre sighed. "I know it's tough to believe, but it's true."

"Oh, right and I suppose neither of you were able to rescue my sister and me until after the war," the young woman replied sarcastically.

Duo took her by the hand again. "Honestly, I don't know what you expect any of us to do or say. As hard as the truth is to get your head around, as impossible as the truth may seem, the truth is just that, the truth. Nothing more and nothing less."

The young woman slumped her shoulders with a sigh. "Whatever. I'm tired."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own _Gundam Wing_.

**Crystal Shards**

~ Chapter Three ~

Mizuki stood just inside the front door, slightly turned her head, eyes scanning the living room. "All of you live here?" She hadn't meant anything mean by the question. She was just curious. In fact, her eyes would glimmer and her entire face would glow with the very idea.

Duo felt as if he could fly, he was so happy to have his sister around. _I miss her so much! _He spoke to her with a wide grin. "Yes. It's not always easy, but we manage."

Sakura peeked out from behind her older sister, illegally adopted, yet somehow still her older sister. She clung to the young woman. Her blue-green eyes were big when she noticed a dirty plate and a dirty cup on the coffee table in front of the couch. A dreaded memory plagued her mind and she asked, "Won't someone get mad if you don't pick up after yourselves?" It was fear that had seeped into her heart.

Trowa noticed the young girl's fragile appearance. Pale as a ghost, nothing to her but flesh wrapped tightly over bones, he could have sworn that she would blow away should a wind pass through. Her eyes were very much like those of an animal that had been ill treated by its owner. Dark circles plagued the underneath of her eyes. His heart reached out towards the child and a warm smile spread along his lips as he held out a hand to her. "We can take care of picking up later. For now, let's get you something to eat."

Shyly, she looked up at him with a smile and nodded. "Thank-you, kind sir." It made her happy that there were more kind people in the world besides her illegally adopted sister. However, that didn't stop her from constantly wondering at the back of her mind whether or not she was just dreaming.

He took her by the hand and lead her into the kitchen. He stopped in front of the pantry, released her hand and reached for the shiny, yellow colored doorknob. He gently turned the knob and pulled the pantry door open. He stepped aside and then slid behind her, gently placing one hand on each of her shoulders. Ever so slightly, he scooted her closer towards the inside of the pantry. "What would you like?" He patiently listened for her response as his eyes scanned the contents of the pantry.

The child considered what she wanted to eat. "Ummm…" A dreaded memory entered her mind and her heart leapt into her throat as her eyes widened with a gasp. She frantically shrugged her shoulders in an attempt at removing his hands. Her heart pounded and her entire body heated with the tension of her fears. At the same time, a most unnerving sensation like that of a sharp, icy fingernail ran its way all along her back.

Trowa removed his hands from her shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong?" The young girl's strange behavior worried him and he didn't exactly know how to handle it should she have run off on him. All he had in mind was to chase her down and catch her before trouble would come along.

Tears gathered in her eyes and deep set fear rendered her frozen stiff with her jaw clenched. At that very moment, all she really wanted was to run like the wind and leave all her fears behind. With that in mind, she did in fact rush off. Though, she didn't get very far before she bumped into Ralena. "AH!" _Oh no!_

A gentle smile spread along her lips and her eyes filled with such warmth. "Hey there, little one," she said in a soothing voice as she placed one hand on each side of her tiny waist and lifted her into her arms. She placed the child against her chest, tucking her left arm around her hind end and rubbing her back with her right hand. She moved her right hand up to the child's hair and ran her fingers through the strands.

Sakura trembled in her arms, placing her arms between the woman and herself. She stared up at the woman who held her in such a tender way as if she were her own child. "Wh-Who are you?" _I'm scared!_

Ralena noticed the set of large, innocent eyes filled with so much pain. Tears gathered in her eyes and the urge to cry hit her full blast. Her heart was breaking, but not for her or Heero or anyone else other than the precious jewel she held. "Sweet child, my name is Ralena." She wrapped both her arms around the child's back and buried her face in the child's hair, taking in the coconut smell. Her lips lightly brushed the child's head. _Why, who could ever mistreat such a sweet little thing?_

Mizuki entered the kitchen from the living room. Her eyes landed on the woman holding Sakura and she studied the two for a moment before switching to Trowa. "Hey, what's going on in here?" After the question, she remained right where she stood, expecting an immediate answer.

Trowa noticed just how serious she was. He calmly replied to her question. "Sakura is scared."

The young woman glared from Trowa to Ralena, about ready to unleash a can of butt kicking on the two. "What did you do to her?"

Ralena looked at her and shook her head. "Nothing."

Even though they were practically strangers with no proof of anything, she decided to follow her gut. They had no reason to lie and she had no reason to trust them. Still, she felt brave enough to play the game till the very end, no matter what. She wanted to witness the outcome. She didn't like to be left hanging.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own _Gundam Wing_.

**Crystal Shards**

~ Chapter Four ~

Early the next morning, Ralena rubbed the sleep from her eyes with a yawn a moment before she sat up and stretched. When she turned lightly in the bed to check whether or not her husband was awake, she couldn't help but to smile as she feasted upon a softly snoring man with the most awesome muscles she had ever seen.

Eyes still closed, Heero smiled. "Oh, Ralena." He opened one eye and looked up at her. He enjoyed playing the possum game with her in the morning. It was priceless to witness her reactions. All his worries instantly melted away. Messing with her always had that warm, welcoming effect on him. He didn't know the answer to the question as to why he felt that way. He only knew that he loved her.

Somewhat irked and yet somewhat delighted, she reached behind her for the pillow on the side of the bed she slept, grabbed it and smacked him with it. "You were playing possum all along, huh you jerk?" It wasn't the same every morning. That would be too much of a bore.

Heero removed the pillow from his face and placed it behind his head. "Oh, what now?" Teasing her was something he couldn't resist. It was fun.

She winked and stuck her tongue out at him. "What do you mean by that?"

The woman in the bed with him was one of sexiness beyond belief. Not only that, but she was really, really smart. Even though it didn't appear to be so, he knew full well that she had a kind heart. Without her, he wouldn't be able to get along with himself or the world around him. It'd be like having a gaping hole.

Ralena laid her head down on his chest. She loved to listen to the sound of his heart beating. It comforted her and she could just close her eyes and fall asleep. She wanted to stay there for all eternity.

He ran his fingers through her hair. "You know I love you, right?"

She nodded. "Of course."

He squirmed beneath her, a signal for her to get up so that he could move.

Reluctantly, she sat up in the bed beside him. The moment was over. She wanted to stay in his arms for just a bit longer.

Heero climbed out of bed and made his way across the bedroom towards the open bedroom doorway. They had left the door wide open just in case something happened and because it would get too hot with the door closed.

Ralena silently followed him.

He entered the hallway. It was still somewhat dark outside and so therefore he struggled to see through the dark. The corner of a wall suddenly blocked his path and the force caused him to fall backwards. His nose and the big toe on his right foot instantly began to throb.

She steadied him. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine."

With a sigh and the roll of her eyes, she reached into the bathroom to her left and felt along the wall for the light switch. As soon as her fingertips touched the switch, she flipped it on and a warm glow filtered into the hallway. "Macho."

Heero carelessly shrugged. He knew that perhaps he always behaved in a very macho manner. It wasn't as if she spoke of anything totally false. To get upset over her macho comment would be very foolish.

Ralena grinned, eyes closed, as she stuck her right index finger up into the air in some nervous gesture. She knew his reaction would be something along the lines of worry. Her intention was to tell him outright and then play the sneaky game and sneak off. "Well, time for me to make you my very special breakfast."

He gulped, for the very idea of her making breakfast for anyone scared him. "Oh dear, now I am concerned." He knew just how hopelessly clumsy in the kitchen she had turned out to be. The house they lived in was over a hundred years old and it was equipped with a gas stove and a gas oven. For their honeymoon, they ended up lodging at a very similar place and it was Ralena who started the fire that engulfed the entire kitchen area and it was Heero who had to pay for the repairs. Ever since that time, he had never ever allowed her to go near a gas stove and a gas oven.

It annoyed her that her very own husband didn't trust her to make breakfast without destroying something and her smile faded as her face darkened. "E-Excuse me?"

He didn't mean offense, but he was very worried that the entire house and everything and everyone inside of it would be burnt to a crisp. "It's just that…" He sighed. "Just try not to…"

"Burn the house down?" She finished his sentence for him and watched as he nodded and winced ever so slightly.

Ralena reached out with both her arms, her palms facing Heero and pushed him at chest level. "I will show you!" With that, she slammed the door shut in front of him and held the knob tightly so that he could not turn it.

Heero had no idea what to think of the situation. He just stood there like a total moron, digging through his brain in an attempt to try and figure his wife out. "Ralena," he finally managed to say.

"What is it," she replied snappily.

"Please, open the door." His answer was very simple. He didn't scream at her or use profanity. When he got out of the bathroom, he wasn't planning on chasing her down, catching her by the hair and tackling her to the ground. Hitting the opposite gender was not the answer to his problem. In fact, the answer to his problem would have been to teach her how to operate a gas stove and a gas oven and make sure she understood very clearly his instructions before leaving her alone with a gas stove and a gas oven.

She released the doorknob and rushed off, trying very hard to attempt a head start before her husband had a chance to catch up to her. That attempt of hers was a complete failure because she stumbled into Mizuki half-way along the hallway.

Startled, Mizuki screamed. Every single part of her body seemed to tangle into a huge mess with every single part of Ralena's body as she and Ralena both came crashing down onto the floor. "Ouch," Mizuki groaned.

Duo heard Mizuki scream and he came rushing out of his bedroom and into the hallway to see what was up. He noticed the two bodies of Mizuki and Ralena sprawled out in the middle of the hallway. "Are you two all right?"

"We are just fine. It was only a small spill." Gradually, Mizuki untangled herself from Ralena and got onto her hands and knees beside her. She stood up and reached out towards Ralena who was still on the floor in a heap.

Ralena pulled herself onto her hands and knees and gratefully took her hand.

She pulled Ralena into a standing up position beside her.


End file.
